Aaron Barnhart

The Bachelor gets off to a slow start but maybe that's to be expected. It starts with a marathon mixer; Take "hi, my name is Angelique" and multiply it 25 times and you get the idea. Michel tells the women he is "humbled and honored" by the turnout, perhaps forgetting that ABC flew all the women to Malibu for the party. [25 Mar 2002, p.D5]

Rob Owen

Like so many of these relationship reality shows, The Bachelor is cheesy and the whiff of desperation wafting off the contestants is strong. A preview for future episodes promises jealousy, back stabbing and cat fights as the bachelorettes vie for the main man...What do you want to bet this one won't make the National Organization for Women's Top 10? [22 Mar 2002, p.36]

John Levesque

Let's just say ABC could have saved a ton on limousine fees if it had shrink-wrapped 25 women and placed them in the meat case at Safeway for its new hook-up series, The Bachelor...The Bachelor is an embarrassment - a tawdry example of a desperate network taking advantage of desperate people. Stay away. [25 Mar 2002, p.C1]

Michael Speier

Besides being insulting to any woman who may not look like a runway model, The Bachelor, hosted by Chris Harrison, is just plain boring. Show supposedly takes the high road from more sexed-up fare like "Temptation Island," but the result is that ABC has promo'd the show with quick cuts of babes in bathing suits and bedside make-out sessions. It's as if the network bankrolled a brothel and positioned cameras to catch the action. [25 Mar 2002, p.34]

Linda Stasi

How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways: You are degrading, debasing, desperate, depressing, dull, and dopey...You are a show so ill-conceived and so demeaning to women that you make Howard Stern look like a feminist. [25 Mar 2002, p.75]